The Mormons

The full name for the Mormon religion is - The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints.

The Mormons was established by Joseph Smith, who was told by an angel that he was to create a new religion and the religion was on Golden Plates buried in the hills and that only he was allowed to see them. Joseph Smith dechiphered the Golden Plates into The Book of Mormon and began the Mormon religion across the West of America in the 1800s

Mormons beliefs

Joseph Smith was a prophet.

The religion was written on Golden Plates, hidden deep in the woods.

Only Joseph Smith could decipher the plates using special tools, hidden with them.

Jesus went to America.

God punished the Native Americans in anger, which is why they have red skin.

They believed in 'The Book of Mormon'.

God approved of polygamy (later on in the religion).

Why The Mormons Were Hated

Many Christians thought that the new religion was complete gibberish.

People disliked that the Mormons practiced polygamy.

The Mormons didn't mix with ordinary people.

People were afriad of the large and rapidly growing numbers of the Mormons.

People feared that the Mormons would take over the government and justice system.

People said that the Mormons were of little social class.

People disliked the encouragment Mormons gave to slaves and also freed slaves to join them.

The Mormons were hated by many people and were often moving across the East attempting to escape persecution. In 1837 one town even went as far as giving an extermination order in an attempt to drive out the Mormons from the town. However the final straw for the non-mormon people was when Joseph Smith introduced polygamy and as a result was killed.

Nevertheless the Mormon religion carried on as Brigham Young became the new leader. He moved the Mormons west to Salt Lake City.